Ok this will be a long question from a FREAKED OUT newbie.
Background - I am a normal, healthy 52 year old that goes to the doctor with what he thought was arthritis and waves of lightheadedness thinking it is just the process of getting old.
I was surprised to find out I had High Blood Pressure 165/110 and was told we needed to get it down quickly. We did blood test - all normal and a stress test that showed an indication of something we should look at. I had one three years prior that was “Perfectly Normal”. So I to the Cardiologist and he said we should do a heart cath and MAYBE put in a stint. When I come out of the Cath Lab I was told I needed Quad Bypass.
This all was done sooo fast and took me totally by surprise – So I had surgery the next day on April 19 2008. I won’t talk about recovery so much except that the first 10 days are the worst. Home after 5 days, back to work after 4 weeks and back to full time work after 6 weeks. Played first game of golf after surgery - June 9 my 53 birthday.
Cardiologist indicated I did not have a heart attack and I had a strong and healthy heart. He also told me he would be dead and gone before I needed to come back (which I do not believe in the least) because I had all the plumbing fixed with total revascularization.
He put me on Toprolol XL 50mg, 81 aspirin, and 50 Simvastatin. I Was already taking Omeprazol for my stomach.
Now for the issues.
It has been 5 months now and I have had good and bad days. But two week ago I had a spell while traveling where I was not feeling good and stopped to check blood pressure and it was 187/114 pulse 110. I was fighting nausea and quivering of the stomach. Of course I freaked out and went to the emergency room. BP was still high at 179/105. Blood test normal, EKG normal and chest x-ray all normal. ER Doctor said it was probably anxiety – I don’t think so because I am not an anxious person (until now). Anyway, I was still nauseous on and off the rest of the weekend with elevated BP. My Doctor put me on Lisinopril to work harder on BP because it was higher than he wanted it. He also told me that I don’t need to go to the emergency room (unless there are other symptoms) and to relax and let the spell pass.
Anyway, I started Lisinopril then two days later I had a rapid heart rate and what felt like a high fever, stuffy nose, tickle in throat for about 4 hours. Went to bed and finally fell asleep. I felt much better the next day but not good enough to go to work. Had stomach upset and diarrhea. Note – this seems to be a 5 to 7 day cycle now over the late month and a half – the stomach nausea, feeling weird in the chest, blood pressure up and diarrhea then I get better. Then it starts again.
Also, I recently have been having different kind of heart beats (arrhythmias) - for example beat ... beat ... beat ... beatbeat... beat ... beat ... beat ...beatbeat etc. or those notorious skipped beats with the pause and thump after words.
I have had these skipped beats all my life and never thought anything about them. However, now that I have had heart surgery and I am experiencing different kinds of heart rhythms it cannot be good. A couple of times with certain exertions I have had what I can only describe as fluttery heart beat that last less than a minute but only because I hit my chest and cough (I think).
So what the heck is going on?? I was fairly healthy before surgery (although now I know I was having unstable angina all the time and I was lucky I did not croak)
But these “up days” and “down days” with the chest discomfort and the flipping, flopping, skipped heart beats and the blood pressure going up and down none of this ever happened before and something has to be wrong. All within 5 months. I feel like I am a walking corpse and I cannot get any straight answers from the Doctor (at lease not straight enough for me).
I have seen in these forums that if your heart STRUCTURE is normal then the heart rhythm issues are probably not serious but how do you know if the heart structure is good?
Not only that but I quit smoking a week before seeing the cardiologist and I am now trying to eat NO fat, NO Cholesterol, NO Salt it is killing me. I am 6”0”, 144 pounds (not overweight at all) and I am trying to increase my exercise level so what gives.
I am almost to the point of deciding that it would have been better to take my chances with the widow maker artery than have the surgery.
What do I do? I just want to feel like I did just one year or two ago. I am tired of freaking out over HBP and heart arrhythmias and wondering if I am going to suffer from sudden death. Can all these issues be fixed or am I doomed to suffer for the next 10 or 20 years worrying about all this ****?
Anybody??
Sorry about this being too long but it is all interrelated and I need answers.
Vic